Two weeks ago, Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen told the media after his team’s 20-20 tie with the New York Giants he wanted to see FedEx Field rocking for the rematch. Allen offered to buy some tickets for fans, which he did, as he indicated this game could be for Washington’s season.
How did the Commanders respond?
By falling behind 14-3 at halftime — after a bye week — to a team that had lost by 26 points last week and had only won one of its last six games. Ultimately, the New York Giants made more plays than the Commanders and walked away with a critical 20-12 victory.
Here are five takeaways from Washington’s loss.
This is why Washington fans don't come to games
The Commanders had every advantage going into Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants. Washington had the week off, while the Giants were blown out by the Eagles last week. New York’s secondary was filled with players like Fabian Moreau starting, yet the Commanders, who spoke of the importance of this game, couldn’t get the job done.
And you wonder why fans don’t pack FedEx Field? Look, we all know owner Daniel Snyder is the No. 1 reason why fans refuse to go to games. However, when so much is on the line against a team that many believe you’re superior to, and all you can muster is 12 points? When you needed a key stop, you allowed Daniel Jones to complete a fourth-and-9? Seriously? Taylor Heinicke fumbled twice, one of which wasn’t his fault, but the second certainly was his fault. He directly cost the Commanders a six-point swing.
After winning six of their previous eight games, fans were beginning to believe, and for the most part, did their part by packing FedEx Field. And Washington dropped the ball. Sure, there were plenty of New York fans, but Washington fans packed into the stadium Sunday night to support the Commanders. And they lost.
What was Scott Turner thinking?
I try never to be that guy who blames everything on the offensive coordinator. Look, Scott Turner has worked with plenty of disadvantages during his time in Washington. From the quarterback position, to the current offensive line. However, he did himself no favors against the Giants. In the first half, Turner kept calling a run to wide receiver Curtis Samuel. It was essentially the same play. Each time, Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux dropped Samuel twice for a loss. Those three plays netted -2 yards.
On the night, he called five rushing attempts for Samuel that ended with one yard. Not Samuel’s fault. Samuel is an effective runner, but the Commanders kept running the same play while leaving Thibodeaux unblocked. The Giants knew the play was coming. In the second half, the Commanders faced a third-and-3. Turner calls for a Samuel run between the tackles instead of using Brian Robinson Jr., who averaged over seven yards per attempt.
Bad night for the play-caller.
Commanders need to overhaul the offensive line
Yes, Washington needs to upgrade the quarterback position. We say that every year. We aren’t getting into the debate about Heinicke’s long-term ceiling. We all know what that is. But no matter who took snaps for the Commanders this season, the offensive line would be an issue. The Commanders went out and traded for Carson Wentz when they had to know he stood no chance behind this line. Heinicke can move around in the pocket, but even he is hit multiple times by the defense each week.
Former Washington tight end Chris Cooley spoke of the protection issues last week, noting that the Commanders are in max-protect 70% of the time. Do you know how much that limits the playbook? And that’s on Ron Rivera. Losing Brandon Scherff was not on Rivera. But he should have never applied the second tag on him. He didn’t want to be here, so move on. Instead, he’s replaced by a former Panther who’s not very good anymore.
Outside of Trai Turner, you have Saahdiq Charles who has failed to lock down a spot in three seasons. Rivera chose Andrew Norwell to replace Ereck Flowers, who he cut. Norwell is serviceable but hardly an upgrade. Charles Leno is not a bad left tackle, but the Commanders should be looking for an upgrade. At right tackle, Sam Cosmi can’t stay healthy, and that’s not on Rivera.
At center, freak injuries have ended Chase Roullier’s seasons in back-to-back years. Rivera has a big job ahead of him fixing this mess in the offseason. And the Commanders still need to find a quarterback. A franchise quarterback would go a long way in fixing some of these issues, but those are hard to find. Washington’s No. 1 priority in the offseason should be looking for multiple offensive linemen. You could make the case for four new starters on the offensive line in 2023.
Defensive lapses
Don’t be fooled by Washington’s defense holding the Giants to under 300 total yards. Sure, on paper, it looks good, especially considering the Giants won the time-of-possession battle. But, when the Giants needed a play, they converted — almost every time. There was the fourth-and-9 completion in the second quarter. Imagine if Washington had made that stop. There’s no second touchdown.
Then, after a Heinicke fumble in the fourth quarter, Barkley ripped off three consecutive runs on the same play that netted 41 yards and put the Giants into Washington territory. The Giants kicked a field goal a few plays later, giving them an eight-point lead. Imagine if Washington’s defense had done its job. The Commanders defense knew Barkley was getting the ball and still didn’t stop him.
Also, while Jones only passed for 160 yards at five yards per attempt, he was not sacked.
Washington’s defense was not blameless in this loss.
Officiating
Officiating played a role in the last meeting between these two teams. It went both ways, too. On Sunday, Washington received the short end of the stick, and while New York fans probably won’t agree, it’s blatantly obvious. We’ve gone over why Washington lost the game, and it was not on the officiating, but that certainly didn’t help things.
The non-call on the Samuel pass interference to end the game was a killer. But the call on Terry McLaurin two plays earlier took a touchdown off the board. McLaurin said the official told him he was lined up correctly before the play.
How does this group continue to impact games on the field and there are no repercussions? Ron Rivera will receive his little “I’m sorry” letter, which is the biggest joke in professional sports. Players get cut for mistakes. NFL officials get a raise. And how dare a coach or player criticize the officiating? NFL officiating continues to be the worst officiated professional sports league, which is something considering the vast wealth of the sport.
And bad officiating has impacted all 32 NFL teams, but when it shows up at the end of the games, it’s even more egregious.
